Matcha Class | Lesson 2: The difference between matcha and other green teas: Apart from the processing which we discussed in our previous lesson, there are other major differences between matcha and other green teas. Green tea can vary widely in quality due to the many growing and processing techniques used to produce different teas. With matcha, usually only the best buds and leaves are picked to ensure quality. When drinking regular green tea (which we will call loose-leaf green tea from now on), the leaves are discarded after steeping. With matcha, the leaf has been pulverized and whisked into the water so you are consuming the whole leaf along with all the added benefits of this. This is why matcha has more caffeine, polyphenols, antioxidants and L-theanine (all the good stuff!) than loose leaf green tea. If green tea were a kingdom, matcha would undoubtably be king. Because it is in powdered form, there are many more uses for matcha apart from just drinking it. You can find matcha in baked goods (like our matcha pound cakes!) smoothies, ice cream, even in cooked meals. There’s no end to the uses of this wonderful powder. Next we will discuss how to brew the perfect bowl of matcha!

Because of its ability to both stimulate (caffeine) and relax (L-theanine), matcha is the perfect beverage to induce a state of focused alacrity without the overwhelming jitters of coffee. Not to mention its great taste, plethora of vitamins and antioxidants and its tendency to enhance your mood. This beverage has been consumed from as early as the 12th century by Zen Buddhist monks for its ability to help induce the right state of mind for meditation. I’m having my daily dose as an iced latte with coconut milk this morning. Cheers!

Matcha Class | Lesson 1: What is Matcha? In a nut shell, matcha is the fine, delicate green powder that is produced by stone-grinding processed green tea leaves, it is also the beverage that is produced from this fine powder. Matcha is nothing new, people have been milling tea leaves into fine powder from as early as the 10th century. There are many quality grades of matcha but the best matcha typically comes from Japan. About 20 days prior to harvest, the tea bushes are covered with some kind of shading (usually silk) in order to encourage the plants to produce more chlorophyll (contributing to matcha’s distinct color) as well as increasing the plant’s levels of L-theanine, the amino acid found in tea that is responsible for tea’s pacifying effect. Have you ever noticed how tea has the tendency to both stimulate and relax simultaneously? This is due to the caffeine and L-theanine working in unison. After hand picking only the best buds, the leaves are then laid out to dry, after which they become known as tencha. Tencha is what is used to produce matcha. The leaves are then put through a stone-grind which grinds them into the green powder we know as Matcha.

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Last Saturday, Master Tsai of @zenvillagemiami guided us through an incredible mindful approach toward the experience of tea for our two year anniversary. Like anything else we do in life, when we treat tea as a means towards achieving awareness and putting us in the moment, it transcends its existence as a simple beverage to be absentmindedly sipped and forgotten. With the right approach, and sometimes the right guidance, it becomes a doorway toward a much deeper connection with reality. This is what tea is all about!